Amid beating drums, representing Mother Earth’s heartbeat, and people dressed in traditional garments, like the iconic long ribbon skirts reaching to absorb earth’s energy, aromas of food wafted through the field house of Conestoga College’s Student Recreation Centre last weekend.
The 13th annual powwow drew thousands of visitors to celebrate Indigenous culture, said Christina Restoule, manager of Indigenous Services at the Doon Campus.
“Be-Dah-Bin Gamik,” which translates to “place of new beginnings,” provides services to the College’s Indigenous students, including status and non-status First Nations, Métis and Inuit.
“2020 was our last in-person powwow. The last two years were virtual,